The 2010 Walkoff Walk Playoff Previews: San Francisco Giants

Inherently more cosmopolitan and far less whiny than their custardy, championship starved brethren in Cleveland and Chicago, the San Francisco Giants are this year's history burdened postseason darlings. And if you don't have a horse in this year's race, why wouldn't you be rooting for them? Heck I'm a fairly big Dodgers fan, but this season left such a sour taste in my mouth that I feel no qualms about rooting for the rival. When I was trying to pick a team for these playoffs, Rob said he was certain I'd pick the bandwagon with the most beer on it. I'm not sure if that's San Fran or not, but I've got a handful of other reasons that I'm jumping on.

1. The pitching, duh. The Giants lead the MLB in ERA and Ks. 3 of their starters (Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez) have a WAR of at least 3.5. Any team is going to have to beat 2 of these guys to have a chance.

2. Scott McCaughey, prolific music dude and mondo Giants fan wrote one of my favorite songs of the year "Panda And The Freak" about the team. It's gonna be on the next Baseball Project record and it slays. But I can't find a good live video anywhere. So trust me.

3. Florida State Seminole Buster Posey has had the best rookie season in a league where a lot of guys had great rookie seasons. He slugged .505 and had an OPS+ of 128. While this team isn't known for its bat, Posey is a genuine hitter and leads a team that showed flashes of streaky scoring ability during the season. The catcher could spark one of those streaks at the right time (lousy career numbers against ATL in a small sample size notwithstanding).

4. So many likable weirdo dudes. "Panda And The Freak" is an awesome rock song because Sandoval and Lincecum have awesome nicknames. They have awesome nicknames because they're awesome. Sandoval has been up and down all season and is struggling again having hit only 1 ding dong in September. But he's fat and his nickname is Panda, so high five. Lincecum's off field persona has become as large as his on field skill; getting famous for smoking trees, having a cool dog and swearing on TV. And let's not forget Aubrey Huff. Dude returned to his 2008 form this year (26 HR 137 OPS+) and is taking his self-pleasuring hotel antics to his first postseason. That aint champagne foam!